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Before either of them could even process what was happening, Alex casually raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Two completely different screens materialized in front of Guy and Green.
On them, their futures began to unfold.
Not just theirs.
The future of the entire world of Akame ga Kill played out before their eyes.
At the same time, the battlefield between the three girls and Gozuki had shifted from the rooftop to the open courtyard outside.
Myo leapt forward, sword flashing in a full-force horizontal slash. The attack was fierce, sharp enough to split steel.
Gozuki sidestepped it effortlessly.
In experience.In technique.In sheer instinct.
He completely outclassed them. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was toying with them.
"You're still too slow," he said coolly. "Let me show you the price of growth."
He tightened his grip on Murasame and suddenly accelerated.
This time, he attacked first.
"Akame, move!"
Cornelia barked the warning and stepped directly in front of Akame, using her own body as a shield.
She knew it well. Akame wasn't fast enough to match Gozuki.
And if Akame got hit—
Even if the wound wasn't fatal, the poison within Murasame would kill her instantly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal collided again and again. Sparks sprayed violently from Cornelia's breastplate.
The force embedded in Gozuki's blade was immediately absorbed by her armor. Part of it was neutralized. The rest converted into stored internal energy.
Cornelia staggered back several steps, nearly losing her footing.
"So strong…" she muttered, steadying herself with a sharp inhale. "As expected of our former father."
But beneath her voice was unmistakable excitement.
Gozuki's attack had just confirmed what Alex had told her.
The upgraded Crusher could now absorb the force of incoming attacks and store it as energy.
For now, only Cornelia could control it. Anyone else would likely be crushed by the backlash.
"Crusher?" Gozuki frowned. "No. That's just a pair of gauntlets."
He had personally given that Imperial Arm to Cornelia. How could he not know its limits?
"It is Crusher," Cornelia shot back.
"Don't tell me it can evolve… Impossible."
Gozuki muttered under his breath, thoughts racing.
Akame didn't waste the opening.
She burst forward, blade of Kiriichimonji slashing toward Gozuki's calf.
If she could land even one cut—
If the wound refused to heal—
Their chances of victory would skyrocket.
Myo immediately understood her intent and attacked from the flank.
"You're right," Cornelia said as she stepped forward again. "This is Crusher."
She funneled the converted energy into both hands, preparing to repeat her earlier move.
Absolute Cyclone suppression.
Pin him down, and let Akame and Myo finish it.
"Not bad," Gozuki said, tightening his grip. "But if you think that's enough to kill me, you're still green."
His cloak snapped violently in the wind.
With an eerie twist of motion and explosive speed, he slipped past Cornelia's cyclone pressure. Midair, he pivoted—
And brought his blade crashing down toward Myo.
Too fast.
Caught off guard, Myo barely managed to flip her blade to block.
Clang!
The moment Gozuki landed, his leg swept out viciously, smashing into Myo's abdomen and sending her flying.
Her small frame tumbled through the air before crashing to the ground in a rough roll.
Gozuki's movements flowed without the slightest hesitation.
He lunged straight at Akame again.
"If you chose betrayal—"
"Then pay the price for it! Die here!"
His fury had reached its peak.
Keeping them alive was pointless now.
Then he'd make an example of them.
But just as he flashed in front of Akame—
Something changed.
From empty air, Rattlesnake burst forth at blinding speed.
"What?!"
Gozuki instinctively swung up Murasame to block.
In the next instant—
The ground behind him melted into a deep pit.
Guy erupted upward, cloaked in Thousand-Layered Garment, manipulating the earth into a massive spear that shot straight toward Gozuki's back.
"You dare betray me too?!"
Gozuki roared in disbelief.
What was happening?
Why were all the children he'd raised turning on him at the same time?
Pfft!
Caught completely off guard, the earthen spear pierced into his abdomen.
"Because we've seen the truth," Guy said grimly. "It's not too late to step out of the darkness."
Even now, the images Alex had shown him replayed in his mind.
"We thought you really saw us as your children."
"We thought the Empire was right."
"But it was all a lie!"
Green raised his hand, sending Rattlesnake surging forward once more.
The three girls weren't surprised in the slightest.
They knew exactly whose handiwork this was.
Alex.
Now, five of them attacked at once.
No matter how strong Gozuki was—
He would fall here.
...
Inside the chat group.
Erza: "I knew Alex would do something."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Don't act like you understand him so well."
Esdeath: "I understand him better than any of you. Inside and out."
Shinobu Kocho: "Don't make it sound like you're the only one who's experienced that."
Hestia: "Wait… is that something we're allowed to say here?"
Saeko Busujima: "Heh. You're all a bunch of degenerates."
Moon: "What does 'degenerates' mean?"
Roxy: "Because what she said was way too dirty."
Alex: "Hey, stop corrupting the kids in here. Go figure out how to condense your divine sparks instead."
"..."
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